SoundCloud, a streaming music platform that has become home to garage bands and other artists who don't mind releasing tracks online for free, said Wednesday that it had reached a licensing deal with Universal Music Group.

YouTube will launch a new subscription music service, the company acknowledged Tuesday after being dragged into a public dispute over royalties that will result in the blockade of some independent artists' music videos.

A British court sentenced two hackers to 100 hours of community service on Friday for stealing a treasure trove of unreleased music—including Michael Jackson tracks—from the U.S. servers of Sony Music Entertainment.